Residential home builders are confronted with significant challenges today in offering high quality construction at competitive prices. New design trends as well as fluctuations in lumber and labor costs often conspire against home builders in realizing a profit for their efforts. In response to marketplace uncertainties, then, steel framed construction is slowly emerging as the preferable way to build a home.
More architects are now specifying steel framing for residential structures than in the past. In fact, it has been reported that the number of steel framed homes constructed between the years 1979 to 1992 increased by more than 300 percent. At present, numerous builders across North America are utilizing steel framed construction in townhouses, apartments and single family dwellings.
Residential builders are attracted to the strength, termite resistance and dimensional stability of steel. Those generally familiar with the steel materials being used in modern residential construction are also aware of their relatively light weight and ease of handling. The variety of steel dimensions and thicknesses has also grown beyond that of standard lumber, thus architects can now exhibit greater creativity in the design of residential buildings. Homes with larger open spaces, longer floor spans and higher walls are the result of this combined creative effort.
Homes constructed with steel frames have proven to be more durable than those framed with wood. In areas vulnerable to hurricanes or earthquakes, they are better able to withstand induced loads. Further, as steel is non-combustible, homes constructed from steel readily comply with local codes and fire regulations. Because it is termite-proof, pesticide treatments are also unnecessary. Thus, health experts recommend steel framing for chemically sensitive home buyers seeking the best possible interior air quality.
Most residential steel framing is assembled using the "stick-built" construction method. Stick-built construction utilizing steel components is similar to that involving wood. Layout and assembly are the same except for one crucial difference, steel components are screwed together rather than quickly nailed as with wood. Thus, some residential builders have been hesitant to utilize steel as construction generally proceeds at a somewhat slower pace and retraining of framing crews, accustomed conventional wood framing methods, is required. A need, therefore, exists for a lightweight metallic beam preserving the advantages of conventional wood framing methods.